Additional Endings: -(으)ㄴ/는데요

There is another fun additional ending that you cannot easily put into one category just like -(으)ㄴ가요/나요. That Korean grammar pattern is -(으)ㄴ/는데요 and it is quite the useful and versatile grammar pattern. It just takes a bit of getting used to. Let’s take a look.

Versatile -(으)ㄴ/는데요

Some you might end up linking this Korean grammar topic to another one, -(으)ㄴ/는데. However, these two are not overly connected. While similar in look the use of -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is quite different. This grammar pattern has, in fact, 3 very different uses which make it very versatile.

The way how you can use the pattern -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is expressing your disagreement or opposition to what someone else has said. In a way it is akin to saying “Well to me…” in English. This is very straightforward way to use this pattern. Let’s look at an example.

A: 이 드라마가 재미없어요. (This drama is boring)

B: 저는 재미있는데요. (Well, I think it is interesting)

A second way to use -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is to indicate you expect or are waiting for a response from the other person. This use is like using “And?” or “…but?” in English. This is an excellent pattern to use on a phone, let me show you.

A: 여보세요. 거기 민수 씨 댁이지요?. (Hello, is this the home of Minsu?)

B: 네, 맞는데요. (Yes, it is…[indicating you expect the other to identify themselves])

The third way you can use the Korean grammar pattern -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is to express your surprise or feeling when seeing something unexpected. It is somewhat akin to saying “I’m surprised to learn/see…” in English. This is used when you actually see the thing that surprises you though. This use is somewhat similar to -군요/는군요 and -네요. Let’s look at an example.

For the present tense you need to ask yourself whether you are using an adjective or a verb. If it is an adjective or 이다, you then need to check the verb stem whether it ends in a batchim (consonant). If it does, then you need to attach the form -은데요. However, it it ends in a vowel (no batchim), then you attach -ㄴ데요. For verbs and 있다 on the other hand you needn’t worry over such things, the ending is always -는데요.

When you need to use it in the past tense you needn’t worry over whether it is an adjective or verb. For the past tense the ending depends on the vowel as it does for the past tense normally. Here are the rules:

If the verb stem ends in or contains ㅏ or ㅗ, you use the ending -았는에요.

If not, you need to use the ending -었는에요.

For 하다 verbs, however, the form is always -했는데요.

Lastly, -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is not really used in a way such as the future tense, so you needn’t worry over such things.

Polar BearAuthor

After meeting Panda, Polar Bear became enthralled with the Korean Language. Today he spends his days learning Korean, writing notes on what he has learned and sharing it with everyone else. He hopes he can spread his love for Korean and help others learn it.